Latest news with #WEC
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Sebastian Vettel decides on coming out of retirement to race in F1 again
The four-time F1 world champion has been gone for three years but hasn't strayed too far from the sport and speculation has continued that he could make a return to action Sebastian Vettel has ruled out making an F1 comeback - insisting his time at the top of the sport is 'over'. The four time world champion retired at the end of the 2022 season, as he sought to spend more time with his family and pursue other passions away from motorsport. That led him back into education, working on environmental projects and promoting women's karting in Saudi Arabia - as well as punditry work on F1. In 2024 he was touted as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes and Sergio Perez at Red Bull, but the 38-year-old has always stuck by his decision that he won't return behind the wheel in F1. And that is something he continues to insist upon, telling Auto Motor und Sport: 'Formula One is over. At some point, the time is ripe to leave the field to others. You can see that especially with the rookies. 'I think it's good that a whole group of drivers has been replaced. This isn't a vote against the old drivers, but rather for the young drivers. I didn't care in the past which of the established drivers was no longer racing. The main thing is that I get to drive." Vettel is still eyeing an attempt at the Le Mans 24 hour race however, even putting together a full-time programme in the WEC. He completed test drives in Porsche's 963 Hypercar, but was not selected in the manufacturer's lineups for either 2024 or 2025. "I don't want to rule out the possibility that something might come of it," he said. "There have been discussions, but somehow it hasn't worked out yet." Discussing his change in attitude towards WEC racing, Vettel continued: 'To be honest, I wasn't that interested in endurance racing from my lone fighter perspective. I see it differently now. I find it incredibly exciting, this team structure, sharing a car, and making compromises." He added: "In motorsport, it's difficult to say: I'll only drive half the races. The WEC would actually be a good fit with its eight races, which are also structured differently than Formula One.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Cadillac Captures First FIA WEC Win in Dominant Fashion at Interlagos
The Cadillacs dominated the 6 Hours of São Paulo after Alex Lynn put the No. 12 team on pole and the No. 38, making up their one position lost to a penalty in qualifying for second. This gave the Cadillac its first win as a manufacturer since it joined the WEC in 2023, a 1-2 finish, and marks the first race of 2025 not won by a red or yellow Ferrari. "Personally, this is year number 3 of racing this car," Lynn said on the WEC broadcast. "Many hours of racing the Cadillac V Series.R to finally win a race in the World Endurance Championship, you can not imagine what it feels like, honestly. I'm hugely proud of everyone." Hertz Team JOTA took its first victory in the No. 12 last year as a Porsche 963 with Will Stevens in the car, with Callum Ilott as Lynn was racing in Formula E this weekend. This weekend marks the first time Stevens and Lynn record a win together, and most importantly, the first win for Cadillac since joining WEC. With the Cadillac 1-2, they jump from fourth to second in the Manufacturer Championship, finishing in front of the Porsches in fourth and fifth, and Toyota failing to land either car in a points-paying position. While overall victory at Le Mans is still the goal for Cadillac, a maiden victory does a lot to lift the spirits of the No. 12 team. The No. 12 lost the lead to their teammates in the No. 38 early in the race due to a drive-through penalty served by Will Stevens for a tire pressure infringement. Lynn took the lead back before the halfway mark. At the halfway mark, Lynn had an 11.804-second lead over Button in the No. 38, which was stretched to 57.016 by the end of the race, with Norman Nato over Sebastien Bourdais. BMW finished fifth, nearly another minute behind the second Porsche, ahead of the Peugeots that had their best finishes of the year with the No. 94 in sixth and No. 93 in seventh. Ferrari's factory teams of the No. 50 and No. 51 joined Toyota, also finishing outside of the top ten, failing to secure points for the first time this season. The No. 83 Works Ferrari finished eighth. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
WEC São Paulo: Cadillac penalty shakes up starting grid for 6 Hours race
Cadillac has lost its front-row lock-out for this weekend's Interlagos round of the World Endurance Championship for an on-track infringement. Sébastien Bourdais, who ended up second in the Hyperpole session to Jota Cadillac team-mate Alex Lynn, has been docked one grid position for impeding another car. This occurred during the opening period of qualifying, after which the top 10 cars go through to the final shoot-out. Advertisement Bourdais in the #38 Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh was judged to have impeded the #93 Peugeot 9X8 2024 Le Mans Hypercar driven by Paul di Resta in Turn 12 during the 12-minute session at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen #93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen The stewards concluded after reviewing video evidence that while Bourdais's actions were not deliberate, they still constituted the offence of impeding. 'The driver of #38 was in a position to move aside before the braking zone at Turn 12 and should have done so to allow #93 to pass,' they stated in the bulletin confirming the penalty. Advertisement The infringement was adjudged to be a breach of Appendix L of the FIA International Sporting Code. Jota and Cadillac have no right of appeal under the ISC. A loss of one grid position for Bourdais means that the factory Penske-run Porsche 963 LMDh qualified by Julien Andlauer will move up from third to start on the front row alongside Lynn. Bourdais will now line up on the grid alongside the #94 Peugeot in which Malthe Jakobsen, took fourth position in the times during the 10-minute Hyperpole session. It would have been a second consecutive front-row lock-out for Jota, Cadillac's factory representative in the WEC, following on from the Le Mans 24 Hours in June. Advertisement Lynn took pole position for the double points round of the WEC, while Earl Bamber claimed second position in the sister Caddy. The Briton's qualifying performance in Brazil means that he now has three Hypercar class positions in the WEC, the first coming at Fuji in Japan last September when the Cadillac factory programme as run by Chip Ganassi Racing. The Sao Paulo 6 Hours, round five of the 2025 WEC, begins at 11:30 local time on Sunday. Read Also: WEC São Paulo: Cadillac scores 1-2 qualifying lockout for Interlagos 6 Hours race To read more articles visit our website.
Auto Blog
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
McLaren shows off Le Mans Hypercar in retro livery
By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. McLaren Is Looking To Repeat History At the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, McLaren displayed 'Project: Endurance,' the prototype for a customer track-day version of its planned FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) challenger, in a new livery that should familiar to fans of the company's first road car—the legendary McLaren F1. The silver-and-orange scheme is inspired by one used during testing and development of the F1 GTR, the racing version of the F1 that went on to win the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans in a less-vibrant liver of basic black, for sponsor Ueno Clinic. McLaren is aiming for a second win at the prestigious endurance race when it enters the top WEC Hypercar class in 2027. 0:07 / 0:09 Chevrolet says a next-gen Camaro is still possible. What could it look like? Watch More The Ultimate Track Car Unlike the F1, the final version of Project: Endurance won't be a road car adapted for racing. It will be purpose-built to the current LMDh hybrid ruleset that underpins both the WEC's Hypercar class and the IMSA GTP class in North America. But McLaren hopes to bring some of its customers along for the ride. Announced last month, Project: Endurance gives customers the opportunity to own cars that will be as close to those racing at Le Mans in 2027 as possible. McLaren has promised that they'll have the same twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid powertrain as the cars driven by the professionals, and will be built by race-car constructor Dallara. It's an ambitious plan. The Aston Martin Valkyrie was designed by F1 genius Adrian Newey, and has since been turned into a full-on race car, but was always intended as a customer car. And the road-going Porsche 963 RSP is a one-off. McLaren will be the first to build and sell a series of WEC Hypercars for customers. All-Access Pass In addition to the cars themselves, McLaren has said Project: Endurance participants will have full behind-the-scenes access to its WEC racing program, including time with key personnel and drivers. They'll also be invited to Le Mans to watch McLaren attempt to win the race on its first attempt. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. McLaren is also planning an arrive-and-drive customer track program, in which owners' cars are shipped to a track so all they have to do is show up, visiting world racing circuits over the course of two years. That includes driver coaching and a dedicated pit crew for each customer—probably necessary for a bona fide Le Mans racer. About the Author Stephen Edelstein View Profile
New York Times
6 days ago
- Automotive
- New York Times
With Better Cars and Drivers, the World Endurance Championship Turns a Corner
The F.I.A. World Endurance Championship just keeps getting stronger and stronger. There is an abundance of manufacturers entering their cars, stacked with driving talent, and its events have had record attendances. 'I think most people would agree we are in a real golden age of endurance racing right now, which is testament to the success of the discipline's current format and regulations,' Frederic Lequien, chief executive of the W.E.C., said in an interview in June. The W.E.C. is motorsport's pinnacle sports-car competition, and it features two classes. In the Hypercar division, automotive manufacturers build a prototype car specifically for racing. The slower LMGT3 class usually comprises private teams that must run race-tuned mass-production models. The Hypercar rules were put into effect in response to dwindling interest from manufacturers, with the predecessor category, LMP1, attracting just seven full-time entries in its final season in 2020, and only Toyota as a recognized manufacturer. The W.E.C. focused on reducing costs and permitting different technical approaches, allowing either hybrid or nonhybrid power units — though capping total power output — and giving teams freedom to choose rear- or four-wheel drive. For Hypercar's first season in 2021 there were three manufacturers, and just four years later there are eight. Ferrari, Cadillac, BMW and Porsche are among the high-profile competitors, and there are 18 cars competing full time. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
